jamie and aarron have both had a close relationship with r.wood studio for years. long ago, jamie worked for rebecca before starting her own studio and aarron has been the brains behind our website for the past 10 years. their home has a great mix of old and new, local art, colors, patterns, and collections flowing throughout……..it is a perfect example of an athens styled home. thanks for sharing….and enjoy!
***the master of the house, our 20 1/2 year old cat, Opie
how long have you lived in your home?
we moved into our house in april of 2005. a local historic preservationist bought the house the year before and restored it to its original splendor before we moved in.
what does home mean to you?
we think of our house as a member of our family and we feel honored to care for such an old timer. when we saw our house for the first time, we knew that it was the right place for us. we could envision a sleepy child dragging his or her blanket down the stairs with thumb in mouth to discover the christmas tree sparkling in the living room window. no where else we have lived has inspired such excitement about the future.
***the nursery story nook. the tree collage painting* doubles as a night light. *made by jamie and aarron
what is your favorite thing about your home?
craftsman style homes have great flow. The flow makes our house such an easy place to entertain, inside and out. from a small family brunch, or the bi-monthly knit nites to blow out birthday bashes or sit down dinner for 20, some how the rooms feel cozy but not cramped for small gatherings, and yet spacious enough for a crowd as well. from the deck to the patio to the lawn there is always an easy way to spill into the next space.
***coffee bar with lou kregel plate and soup studios cup
what were/are your inspirations in decorating your home?
it all starts with making each space very functional, and flexible for daily living. though our house is of the craftsman era, our design aesthetic is an eclectic mix of pieces from the 1900s to the 1970s. we love being surrounded by objects that have a story, a sense of history, or a connection to friends and family.
each room in our house features art, textiles, photos, and furniture created by our talented friends and artists that we admire or items that were passed down by family. we believe that living with things that we have such a personal connection with is what makes a house a home.
***upstairs bedroom with print by Angela Nichols and iron bed frame from the turn of the century
do you know anything about the history of your house and/or neighborhood?
our house was built in 1932 by the foreman of a small cotton mill that was once just down the street. he bought the house and the land for just $3000 dollars. he and his father built all the stone walls themselves. three adults and 2 children lived here then. there was only one full bath at the time. the upstairs room we use for storage was originally used as a sewing room. the room we use as a pantry was originally the father’s office and their pantry is now our smurf bathroom.
a neighbor stopped by shortly after we moved in, and shared with us that her grandfather built it. She gave us old photos of the family posing in front of the house, and a copy of the original deed. she was tickled to walk through the house again, and reminisce, and we were delighted to hear her story.
do you have any themes or collections used to decorate?
when Jamie was a girl she collected smurfs. they spent the last 25 years in shoe boxes in the attic of her childhood home. now they have a permanent home in the pantry that was converted into a half bath. now that her collection is visible, friends, even costumers of Soup Studios are bringing her additions for the collection.
***the former pantry is now the smurf bathroom, they come alive in the dark!
***postcard stories from our travels around the world
what is the one thing you can’t live without?
when we moved in the fireplace was not usable. we later found out that it was not the original either. it had been rennovated in the 50′s and had some mismatched school bus yellow tile and a blonde brick. last year we had it removed from the very tippy top all the way down to the basement and rebuilt. we had a friend and local woodwooker brent swanson design and build and craftsmans inspired mantle and surround of walnut. we found tiles inspisred by the ear as well. it took 8 weeks and was a total mess, but it makes the fireplace the focal point it was meant to be. And on cold winter nights it makes for a toasty spot to read or visit with friends.
***living room with 1940s pinball machine coffee table and danish-modern sofa
***orange chairs from the early 70′s that swivel around for a tet a tet with the green chairs from the mid 60′s
** lou kregel custom floor painted in the office
***soup studios. click here for soup studio’s holiday schedule
WOW – what wonderful, inspiring pictures! Such a great mix of retro and modern pieces with a country flair. Thank you for sharing these! xoxo, natty
[...] few weeks ago, we shared the home of athens artists aarron walter and jamie voivedich. they just sent over some views from their [...]
loved this feature! jamie & aarron have done a fantastic job of making their house a uniquely wonderful home. many times, photos don’t do justice – in this case, the photos do a terrific job of showing the details in each room. it’s a warm, inviting home – so pleased to see it featured here!
cheers!